GERARDO ESPARZA

11/11/87; NDFA '03 (Seattle); Venezuela
R/R; 6-1, 180

Level

W-L-Sv

BB/9

K/9

WHIP

OAVG

ERA

2008 VSL (Sea)

4-5-1

69.2

2.8

7.6

1.03

.198

1.81

2009 R

2-3-0

26.1

3.1

6.5

1.25

.253

4.44

The Pirates selected Esparza, along with LHP Andres Santos and RHP Rafael Quintero, in the 2008 Rule 5 draft. None of the three had pitched in the US at the time of the draft. I'm not sure why Esparza was in the VSL long enough to become eligible for the Rule 5 draft, but injuries are the most likely explanation. That was the case with Santos, while Quintero switched from hitting to pitching. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates sought advice from their statistical analyst in determining which players to draft. Not surprisingly, all three put up impressive BB and K numbers. Esparza's K rate wasn't as high as those of the other two, but unlike them he played in the VSL where, for some reason, K rates are generally much lower. I saw him in spring training and he was throwing 90 mph consistently, along with a breaking ball that looked fairly sharp. Still, he didn't pitch especially well in the GCL, although he did pitch better than Santos or Quintero. It sure seemed like a clever idea at the time.

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